The Nest Cam IQ indoor security camera is about to get a whole lot smarter.

Nest is rolling out a free software update that will add support for Google Assistant to the Nest Cam IQ indoor, allowing it to "answer questions, control your home, and manage tasks," Nest Director of Product Marketing Maxime Veron wrote in a blog post.

This new integration makes Nest Cam IQ the "first security camera to have the Google Assistant built in," Veron added. To try it out, just say "Hey Google" or "OK Google," followed by a question or command like "make it warmer." Google Assistant can do lots of other things, too: Ask it to add an appointment to your calendar, for instance, or set a reminder.

For security reasons, this feature will only be available on the indoor version of Nest Cam IQ, Nest said.

"To help protect your privacy and security, the Google Assistant is not included on any of our outdoor products such as Nest Cam IQ Outdoor," the company wrote in a support article.

The company is also adding a $5 plan to its Nest Aware subscription service offering five days of 24/7 recording. A $10 plan offers 10 days of nonstop surveillance; get 30 days for $30.

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With Nest Aware, you'll get an alert on your phone when your Nest Cam spots something you might like to know about—like if a person is at your front door. Going forward, those alerts should be more accurate, as the Nest Aware can now tell the difference between people and things. It will also now "merge duplicate familiar faces of the same person within your photo collections," Veron wrote.

The Nest Cam IQ earned "excellent" marks in PCMag's review, nabbing props for its top-notch face recognition and two-way audio, "sharp 1080p video," and easy installation. On the down side, we noted that it's on the pricey side at $299, and many features require a Nest Aware subscription.

The move comes shortly after Google announced that it will absorb Nest Labs and integrate its tech into Nest products.

About the Author

Angela has been a PCMag reporter since January 2012. Prior to joining the team, she worked as a reporter for SC Magazine, covering everything related to hackers and computer security. Angela has also written for The Northern Valley Suburbanite in New Jersey, The Dominion Post in West Virginia, and the Uniontown-Herald Standard in Pennsylvania. She ... See Full Bio

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